Bloomington-Normal lacrosse co-op teams finally get chance on the field
NORMAL, Ill. (BVM) — In 2020, brand new boys and girls lacrosse co-op teams consisting of players from Bloomington High School, Normal West High School and Normal Community High School were set to begin play.
But after practicing for a few weeks in preparation for their inaugural season, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out both teams’ chances to take the field. Now, they have finally gotten their opportunity to play for the first time in the quickly emerging sport this spring.
The girls team is coached by Andy Grisinger, who was a former college lacrosse player at the University of Northern Colorado. Meanwhile, Mike Buelow is the head coach on the boys side.
Many of the players on both teams are first-timers in the sport. However, some do bring over experience from the Bloomington-Normal Warriors lacrosse club that has been around for the past decade.
Normal Community High School is the host site for the co-op, with both teams having already played a few games so far this season. Within the past week, both programs have gotten their first wins.
One of the leaders for the girls squad is Coach Grisinger’s daughter, Makenna. The junior scored five of the team’s first six goals this season. Junior midfielder Sadie Newton and junior defenseman Lindy Hansen join Makenna as captains on the squad.
Meanwhile, the boys are led by a trio of talent, including senior midfielder Ean Haggerty, junior midfielder Conner Jones and sophomore attacker Cort Welch.
The co-op will look to continue its development and growth throughout the rest of the season, beginning with two games tonight as the girls will take on Lincoln-Way Central while the boys do battle with Washington.
